An “Evening in Old Shanghai” is in the offing Friday, May 18, when the Fullerton Museum Center presents “Shanghai Jazz” – a look at one of the most vibrant eras of music history.

Guest speaker will be bassist, composer and educator Cory Combs. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Museum, 301 W. Pomona Ave., one block east of Harbor Boulevard, in downtown Fullerton.

The program is being offered by the museum in conjunction with its exhibit, “China Modern: Designing 20th Century Popular Culture,” which examines China’s use of advertising images as well as graphic and product design to shape its political ideologies and cultural values in the 20th century.

Combs, director of jazz education at SF Jazz, non-profit group in San Francisco devoted to the appreciation of jazz, will discuss the origins of jazz in Asia, with special emphasis on the burgeoning international music scene in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s.

The program will also feature recordings of some rarely heard examples of the Shanghai jazz musical style.

For the program the museum ambiance will be reminiscent of a jazz club in old Shanghai, with café tables for guests, a bar, and music before and after Combs’ talk.

Admission to “Shanghai Jazz” is free with regular admission to the museum. Beverages will be available for purchase during the program.
Museum admission is $4 for adults, $3 for students with student identification and senior citizens 65 and older, $1 for children 6 to 12, and free to children under 5 and to members of the Fullerton Museum Center.

Further information about “Shanghai Jazz” or the “China Modern” may be obtained by calling the museum at (714) 738-6545.

Persons requiring special accommodations to participate in the “Shanghai Jazz” event or view the exhibit are asked to notify the museum staff prior to coming to the Fullerton Museum Center.

“China Modern: Designing 20th Century Popular Culture” runs through July 1.